Charles Oliveira vs. Estevan Payan added to stacked UFC 166 card

The UFC’s return to Houston in October for UFC 166 features a stacked fight card, and a featherweight bout has been added to the rapidly filling event.

Charles Oliveira (16-4 1 NC, 4-4 1 NC UFC) and Estevan Payan (14-4, 0-1 UFC) will square off in the latest addition to the event. The Houston Chronicle first reported the bout, which was later confirmed by UFC officials. The bout is expected to take place on the night’s preliminary card.

Oliveira is looking to end a two-fight losing skid inside the Octagon. He dropped a decision to Frankie Edgar at UFC 162 last month, though it was a solid showing against a former champion which earned “Fight Of The Night” honors. All four of Oliveira’s wins in the UFC have come by submission, and it was expected he’d be added to this card as he resides in Houston.

Payan is looking to score his first UFC win after dropping a hard-fought decision to Jeremy Stephens at UFC 160 in May. Payan had won five straight fights, including back-to-back wins in Strikeforce that brought him over to the UFC. Both men are likely fighting to stay on the UFC roster in this bout.

UFC 166 takes place on Oct. 19 from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos meet in a trilogy bout in the now sold-out event.

About The Author

RyanFrederick

Ryan Frederick has been a diehard mixed martial arts fan since he saw UFC 1 at the age of 7. Since then he has yet to miss a show. He also has loves for football, baseball and fine whiskey. He fell in love with covering MMA after having also covered baseball and football, both professional and college, while working towards a journalism degree at Texas Christian University. His work has been seen on FOXSports.com, InsideFights.com, WrestlingObserver.com, Bleacher Report and ToughTalkMMA.com.